e.l.f. Beauty teams up with Accrington Stanley Women Football Club to support female empowerement

With women leadership being a core inspiration for the Accrington Stanley players, e.l.f. says it will lean in and raise the stakes by bringing inspiration and empowerment to the team, working with England International Lioness Izzy Christiansen.

In addition to supporting the international tour, the partnership includes Christiansen-hosted training sessions for the club, bringing energy to the supporters with interactive activities at games, e.l.f supported kit and a new team mascot, Sticky, who takes the form of e.l.f. holy grail, Power Grip Primer.

Accrington Stanley Women FC (ASWFC) is a community-based club based in the Lancashire manufacturing town of Accrington which has long been portrayed as an underdog, most famously in the 1980s milk advert that featured a little boy who aspired to improve his football and play for a great club, rather than Accrington Stanley.

e.l.f.'s ambition with ASWFC is to support a positive narrative around the women and girls, their football potential and continued success.

In recent weeks, e.l.f. supported the club as they journeyed to the United States to the Dallas Texans International Girls Cup, enabling an enriching, impactful experience for the team's 15 to18-year-olds.

It was an opportunity to experience another country, its culture and people; improve their game; showcase their ability; have the chance to be scouted for U.S. university scholarships; and inspire younger players and members of the community to follow in their footsteps.

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Christine Cassidy, Vice President and General Manager, International, e.l.f. Beauty, said: "At e.l.f., our mission is to disrupt norms, shape culture and connect communities, and there is no sport that connects communities in the U.K. more than football. We are here to empower women, so when we discovered that ASWFC's club mantra is ego conventum ad rebellionem concitare ("I am meeting to raise a rebellion" in Latin), we knew we had found a club that had the same fire in its belly as we do."

"I am still pinching myself that e.l.f. has partnered with Accrington Stanley Women FC. To have the support of a brand that we share so many core values with means a lot to our integrity and future aspirations," Sami Smithson, ASWFC Chairperson, said. "The support of e.l.f. has been able to put our girls & women, of this small club with big ambition, on the world map as well as continue to inspire and include many girls and women from Accrington and surrounding areas. e.l.f.'s belief in us is something our community is using as a confidence boost on and off the pitch."

e.l.f. says it is committed to empowering legendary women everywhere and supporting women in sports aligns with e.l.f Beauty's vision to be positive, inclusive and accessible. e.l.f. recently partnered with legendary tennis star and equity advocate Billie Jean King, racecar driver Katherine Legge and the Professional Women's Hockey League in the U.S. Together, they are calling on business leaders and the wider community to "Change the Board Game" and put more women and diverse candidates on corporate boards.

For further information please visit elfbeauty.com and follow e.l.f.'s commitment to women in sport on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.